As ruas do Brasil!

So, this one time we went to Brasil and made reservations for a rental car. We wanted to visit friends around Brasil but had one problem: all cars in Brazil are stick shift. I learned how to drive on a stick when I was 14 but that was almost 10 years ago (I'm old) and I haven't driven one since. The week before we left for Brasil, Bret gave me a crash course on driving a stick. I got all of the basics down, but it was rough. We stalled several times in bad places and had to get used to the fact that no one obeys traffic laws. Most highways have only one lane each way. To pass a car you have to pretty much gun it because most of the time you can't see beyond a hill that the road winds around. There were times where we would pass two or three semis at a time. I could always tell when Rebekah was scared because she would grip the door handle and brace herself trying to be discrete. I got a kick out of it! By the end of the trip I had a blast weaving in and out of traffic and not having to obey any traffic laws. Sou Brasileiro!

Our car, Lil' Gracie!

This is the one-lane highway I was talking about...windy and narrow.

There were lots of funny street signs in Brasil. This is to make drivers aware that there would be pedestrians crossing the highway! That was nerve-racking. Not sure why the kid in this one has a briefcase...

We saw this while we driving home from Colatina. It is the entrance to a Buddhist monestary that I visited as a missionary. It's high up in the mountains and really peaceful.